Love Is Merely a Madness
by Kalsypher
Summary: The daughter of Lawless of Greed and Ophelia has traveled the world, leaving small pieces of herself in every city. When she moved to Japan, Rosaline Greed decided to return to high school. She gained friends easily enough, but it didn't take long for everything to change. KuroxOC
1. Chapter 1

Rosaline sighed as she took a seat in the uncomfortable desk. Every fifty years, she would return to a high school to catch up with the times. She would also have to go through college again, since her degrees were starting to get older than she appeared.

This was her first time in Japan. She had been in the country for thirty years already to learn and master the language and area. But, the small village was starting to notice the ageless hermit, so she left to the large city to disappear in plain sight. But, she needed a job, and to get a job, you needed education that was more up-to-date than the 1950s.

She had kept up with fashion over the years, but to her, the styles the students wore their clothes was questionable. They had a strange uniform. The boys had a white collared button up with a brown vest and red tie. All of that was fine until the orange jacket showed up. The girls' uniform was a white collared button up with a light tan sweater vest and red string ribbon tie. She hated the navy skirt and navy knee-high socks they had to wear.

"Hey, are you new?"

She looked up from her desk, looking at a brown haired boy with brown eyes. Such innocence and naivety. He had altered his school uniform a bit, his khaki pants rolled up to his knees.

"Yes," she replied as he offered her his hand.

"I'm Mahiru Shirota," he introduced as he shook her hand.

"Rosaline Greed," she replied.

She hated making friends, but they we necessary for high school. Humans had this odd need for company. It was as though if they didn't form some sort of relationship, they would fall into insanity and die. She had seen students with extreme potential end their lives or die some other way so she took whatever friends that came her way, and made sure they were kept happy and safe.

"Where are you from?" He asked as he took a seat at the desk next to her.

"Verona, Italy."

His face lit up like a Christmas tree. "What's it like?"

She shrugged a bit, "Clean, quiet. At least, it was the last time I was there." She gave a slight chuckle, "They had this garden that this princess asked the people to plant. I don't think it's there anymore, though. It had started out as this small community garden then turned into a field of flowers. Ophelia's Meadow, I think. I don't remember what happened to it."

After her father left for some meeting, Rosaline never returned. She had heard the kingdom her mother fought so hard for had fallen. Having studied it in one of the high schools, she even went as far as to become a history major to prove that her mother didn't deserve to die. Her longing to correct history had since been alleviated, but she hadn't returned.

"Wow, that's amazing," he awed. "What brought you to Japan?"

She shrugged, "I just ended up here. I was in foster care, the family that took me in moved to Japan, and gave me the apartment of their deceased son."

"Oh, wow," Mahiru frowned. "That must be hard."

"There are worse things," she told him. "It just gives me a different look on life, helps me give advice to people who have never experienced it before."

He blinked a couple of times before someone put his hand on his shoulder. Rosaline looked up at the green haired teen who had also altered the dress code by wearing a black and white striped shirt under the orange jacket, and he had pink head phones on his shoulders. "What's up, Mahiru?"

"Oh, hey, Sakuya," Mahiru grinned. "This is Rosaline Greed."

Rosaline gave a wave to the energetic boy who stared back with crimson eyes. He blushed some, looking a way for a second while rubbing the back of his neck before looking back with a smile, "H-Hi."

He threw his bag into the desk behind Mahiru just as a blonde and brown haired boy walked in. What sort of people were they? The newest members seemed just as innocent and impressionable as Mahiru, but there was something in Sakuya that told Rosaline he had seen and experienced things no one should go through.

"Huh? Who's the new girl?" The blond asked. He had the dress code uniform on, but there was a headband on his head, keeping his hair from his eyes.

"This is Rosaline Greed," Mahiru introduced. "Rosaline, these are my friends Ryusei and Koyuki."

Before she could give any sort of greeting, the teacher walked in and class began. Rosaline had forgotten how hard it was to focus in school. By the end of the day, she had drawn incredibly detailed pictures of Mahiru and Sakuya.

"Wow, that's incredible!" Koyuki exclaimed as he looked over Mahiru's shoulder at the picture. "And you did that just today?"

"I think I was an artist in a previous life," she suggested. Only a hundred years ago, that much was true. Artist and author for a few years, relying solely on people willing to buy her pieces. One of her books had made it to a must-read list, and a couple of her paintings were in museums.

"Yeah," Mahiru agreed. "Can you draw anything?"

"Almost. I can't draw people unless I see them."

"Cool. Can you paint and stuff too?" Sakuya asked.

"Yeah."

"That will come in handy when we have projects," Koyuki pondered, smiling. "We'll actually have a chance winning this year."

"Winning what?" Rosaline asked.

"It's not a competition, really. It's just the school festival. It's nice to be acknowledged and everything, but it's really about having fun," Mahiru explained while the other four stopped and stared at him.

"So, what I'm hearing is Mahiru really wants to win and has been very petty about the previous losses," Rosaline grinned.

"Yeah, pretty much," his friends agreed while Mahiru strongly objected the thought.

Sakuya laughed as he put his arm around his friend's shoulder, "Don't be so uptight, Mahiru. We know you're not that bad."

"Ah, Rosaline, can we get your number?" Ryusei asked.

"My number? Why?" She asked curiously.

"In case we need help with homework or something," Koyuki smiled.

"Or, since we're friends, we can keep in contact," Mahiru said, rolling his eyes at his friend's answer.

Unable to really find a way to say no to that, she pulled out her phone, and the group began swapping numbers. Just as she finished, a reminder popped on her phone. Grocery shopping.

"Crap, I forgot all about that," Rosaline sighed. "I'll see you tomorrow."

"Actually, Mahiru and I are going shopping tonight, too," Sakuya said. "Is it cool if we come with you?"

"I, uh, yeah, sure," she finally managed to say.

Maybe she had made friends too fast, that or these guys were practically shameless. She had a feeling she would have to get used to the pushiness, but she had had friends like that before.

Ryusei and Koyuki joined with Mahiru's invite. Dealing with guys in the past, Rosaline wasn't sure how much they would actually get done or if Mahiru and Sakuya would get food they could live on.

As the group walked toward the train station, Rosaline's attention was taken by a tv with the news on it. She frowned as she crossed her arms over her chest. Victor Robinson had been a Broadway actor that had traveled all over. Just before she moved to Japan, she had worked on stage with him. He had been a good friend of hers, but they lost touch when she moved. That didn't make his death hurt less.

Rosaline jumped when someone touched her. She tried to focus on Sakuya, but the tears blurred her vision. She blinked a few times, wiping the water from her face, smiling at his concern. "I'm fine," she assured. "I was a fan."

He smiled, "Cmon, it's getting late. The market doesn't stay open all night, you know."

They caught up with the others, all noticing her tear stained face. "You okay?"

"Yeah, I was a fan of the actor that died," she explained sheepishly.

The three shared an uncomfortable look. She frowned slightly, "What's wrong?"

"You just don't look the type to be into that kind of stuff," Mahiru said as he scratched the back of his head.

"What kind of stuff? I like Shakespeare and musicals. There's nothing wrong with that."

"Oh," all three of them realized.

"So, that's not the serial rapist," Ryusei muttered to himself as he put his hands in his jacket pockets.

She narrowed her eyes at them, but didn't push the subject.

Their venture to the store continued as they stepped into the slightly chilly store. Before Sakuya could even fight her, his jacket was off and on Rosaline to keep her warm. She didn't say a word as she grabbed a shopping cart and began her journey through the store to get food. Mahiru grabbed one as well, following her as she began looking through the produce.

"I am never shopping with you again," Sakuya groaned as they walked out.

"You didn't have to stay," Rosaline argued as she pulled Sakuya's jacket off and handed it to him.

"You had my jacket," he argued.

"It was three hours, Rosaline," Ryusei grumbled. "Three hours!"

"You didn't need food, so I don't know why you stayed," Rosaline pointed out. "And I don't need help carrying my bags."

She had at least fifteen bags filled with food, all distributed amongst the gentlemen. Her home was one stop off the station. She could handle that weight for that long, anyone could.

"You live over a mile away," Ryusei argued, "There's no way you could carry all of this."

"Well, if you're going to be that insistent on it, let's go," she sighed.

They grumbled as they followed her to the train. The group looked pretty ridiculous. All of them had at least ten bags each, so she didn't feel so bad since the rest was for Mahiru and Sakuya.

"You live alone, too, huh?" Koyuki asked.

"Yeah, something like that. My foster parents gave me their deceased son's apartment," she lied. It wasn't entirely a lie. The people that had given it to her simply weren't her foster parents, but it had been the apartment of their deceased son. When she first moved to the city, he allowed her to stay with him, on behalf of his parents' recommendation that she would be a good tenant.

"Just gave it to you? That's must be nice," he sighed.

"It was incredibly kind of them, but I must warn you, the place is a bit...different."

The boys soon found out what she was talking about when they walked into the bachelor pad. There were leather chairs and suede couches. The entire floor was dark wood, the only break being an off white rug under a glass coffee table.

"This is very..."

"He was definitely a bachelor," she stated, making Mahiru feel a bit better about his opinion. After he died, she didn't have the heart to redecorate.

"Reminds me of your home," Ryusei said as he nudged Mahiru.

"I'm not a bachelor!" Mahiru yelled as they put all the bags down to sort through which ones belonged to Rosaline.

"It's your uncle," Ryusei explained with a smirk. "I bet he gets a lot of action while traveling."

"Can we not talk about my uncle's sex life?" Mahiru growled.

Rosaline smiled slightly. They were good, fun people. If they could get past her looks and just let her be their friend, everything would be okay. She would like to have friends that didn't judge her on her looks, just once.

"Did someone paint you?" Koyuki asked.

Rosaline looked at the painting she had yet to sell. It was a blond woman in a sky blue dress with a red amulet around her neck, laying on a field of jasmine. There was an orange and pink flower tucked by her ear.

"No. I don't know who that is," she lied. "I saw her in a history book once before, a nameless princess that was executed. I've been trying to sell it, but no one wants it."

"What did you name it?"

"Ophelia's Meadow, after the garden in my home town," she answered, almost robotically. It had been a question asked many times.

"Who's Ophelia?"

"The Princess. She seemed important enough to paint, though she was lost in time."

"Did you do some research on her?" Mahiru asked.

"Too much for too long. The image led me to a book series where the author wrote historically accurate pieces about the princess, though there was no name. The only reason she had the information on the princess was because of a study done years ago about her and a lot of speculation on why the princess was killed. The author of that study wrote something that just stayed with me. 'In God's name cheerly on, courageous friends, To reap the harvest of perpetual peace By this one bloody trial of sharp war.' A quote from Shakespeare. She was executed in the name of peace, but the war still happened."

"What's the book series?" Koyuki asked.

"The Purpose of Greed. To make the series more interesting, the author shoved vampires into the story. If the ending wouldn't kill your soul, I would tell you to read it, despite it being romance. It's almost humorous."

"You don't look like a romance novelist either," Ryusei narrowed his eyes.

"Well, maybe you shouldn't jump to conclusions before getting to know someone," Rosaline sassed.

"We should get going," Mahiru said with a yawn. "We'll see you tomorrow."

She locked the door behind them before heading to put her groceries away. They had become friends in so fast a time. It was odd, but not the worst. Maybe Japan wasn't so bad after all.

As the weeks passed, Rosaline appeared to be the perfect student. Having lived through most of the history that was being taught, it was easy to ignore that class as well as math, English and literature. It seemed even science hadn't changed that much since her last visit.

"How did you get a perfect score again?!" Sakuya groaned when he pulled the perfect score from her hands. Her friends were struggling in math, but she tried to help them best she could. She had never been a good teacher.

"You still scored pretty high," Rosaline pointed out as she took her paper back. "I'm just not a tutor, or I would be able to help."

"It's Koyuki that's struggling," he said. "He didn't score above a sixty."

She frowned a bit, "Ryusei can teach him. He knows what to do."

"Yeah, Ryusei can't teach either."

Her attention moved to the window where the clouds were starting to cover up the sky. It was starting to get colder, and she would have to wear a lot of clothes to school. She wasn't worried about the stares, only the fact she could possibly transform in the middle of class.

"Winter is coming faster than I thought," she said.

"Are you going to start stealing everyone's jackets?"

"No, I'll be bringing my own. Maybe a space heater, too," she joked.

Though the cold put her at a high risk of discovery, she still enjoyed it, or the staying inside part. She loved the warm food she got to cook, all memories of a better time. She couldn't remember how many times she had almost burned down a house centuries ago due to the fact she would spontaneously transform due to the cold. It was always in the middle of cooking.

Soon, it became cold outside. Rosaline was no longer wearing the skirt required of the dress code, but thick snow pants, the same color of the skirt. She also wore a large orange parka, just in case. It seemed to bother everyone how large and thick the jacket was, and while everyone else was comfortable, she was still trying to stay warm.

"Well, winter break is almost here," Mahiru smiled as he took his seat by Rosaline. "What are you going to be doing?" He asked her.

"After I go shopping, I'll be a shut in until school starts again."

"You're just going to be alone that whole time? What about your foster parents?"

"They're in New Zealand on a cruise, so I couldn't go," she lied again, grumbling over the thought of a warm island.

She had experienced a couple of cruises, both having snuck on in her animal form. They were fun. For food than she ever dreamed of eating, movies, plays, and best of all, desperate people looking for love. Her entertainment had been watching people's the bars hooking up, only to move on to a new person the next night. It was as though they were just passing some food around the table with how nonchalant they acted.

"I'll probably be alone, too, and so will Sakuya, so why don't we come over and hang out?" Mahiru suggested. "It would suck to spend Christmas alone."

"I suppose that isn't ideal," she mumbled.

She hadn't celebrated Christmas in years. All she knew was there were presents, and that meant she had to buy some. Thankfully, she knew what to get them, or she wouldn't have agreed.

Mahiru's face lit up, "Alright! What about before then? Do you want to meet up some time?"

"I'll be able to in a few days. Someone is interested in Ophelia's Meadow, and they want to talk price after they look at it."

"That's great! How much are you asking?"

"$500," she replied as she rubbed the back of her neck. "And he's willing to pay it, but he wants to personally see the picture, and he wants to hear the story behind the picture. I think he's buying it for someone."

"Must be his wife or something, for him to be ready to drop that type of money on a painting," Ryusei said.

"It looks like a master painted it, though," Koyuki argued. "That could probably sell for millions under a famous artist's name."

"Thank you, Koyuki," Rosaline beamed.

It had been years since she heard a compliment like that about her work. Her art was different than just about anything out there at the time. It would either be a black and white painting with one color to be highlighted throughout the piece, or there was a painting with a large blank spot, forming some sort of silhouette, either in the center or focusing all of the art onto a single spot of the canvas to make the white space be the picture.

"Before her time" she had been called. She had pieces in small museums and a few were even made into posters. With Rosie G being the signature on the painting, there was no tracing it to he or any of her past aliases.

"Alright, well, after you meet with him, call me," Mahiru smiled.

She nodded, her face falling as she looked to the cold weather. There was snow falling and she had forgotten a scarf. There was no avoiding a transformation. Unless she store hopped the entire way to the train, she would have to accept a transformation and hope no one would see.

"You can't be that upset over some snow," Sakuya teased as he walked to her side. "It's actually nice."

"It's going to be cold," Rosaline frowned. "I hate the cold."

He laughed as he put his arm around her shoulders, "It's not that bad. You'll be fine!"

She laughed, "Yeah right. You're going to find me dead, frozen in an alley somewhere."

"Hey, Sakuya!"

He spun around, dragging Rosaline along as they grinned at his girlfriend, Kimiko. There was no secret that Kimiko hated Rosaline, though Rosaline clearly couldn't care less. She kept her friends close to her heart, but still at arms length. They would die one day, while she would continue continue on.

"Hey, Kimi!" He greeted, releasing Rosaline so he could hug her.

The black haired girl snuggled into his embrace, her grey eyes glaring at Rosaline who kept her grin. Her grin fell when she started kissing him right in the middle of the room. She was far from jealous. Unable to forgive her mother, she could barely stand watching couples. It was just a lie, anyway. One of them would leave for someone else who can give them what they want.

"So, you are jealous?" Koyuki asked.

Rosaline looked at the tall teen, confused on what he was talking about, "Jealous of what?"

"Sakuya and Kimiko."

"No," she replied slowly, glancing over at the couple. "My parents weren't the greatest people, and it's ruined my outlook on relationships. I'm not jealous, I just have no interest in watching. I'm not into that."

"What are you into?" Koyuki asked. He turned very red and began stuttering, "I-I-I mean, um, I-I, um, things! N-n-not in men, but things!"

"I like Shakespeare. Art, books, and music, too. Movies are alright, and I'm still trying to find video games I'm interested in. I'm a bit behind the times," she smiled sheepishly.

"You sure do like boring things," Ryusei commented as he folded his arms behind his head. "You're not into sports?"

"Is fishing a sport? I like deep sea fishing."

He laughed, "You're not strong enough for that. What would you do? Drive the boat?"

"Hey, take that back. I caught a swordfish one time!"

"Prove it," he smirked.

She grumbled as she started searching through her bag for her phone. She had practically emptied out her bag before she found the stupid technology. Scrolling through all her pictures, she tried to find the video from a few years ago of her catching the swordfish. She had been with an old friend of hers from the village. After her first time, she would go with whoever would take her, as often as possible.

"Get a room," Mahiru shouted as Rosaline passed her phone to Ryusei.

She looked over to Sakuya and Kimiko who were cuddle up in a desk, talking with Kimiko's friends.

"It's a shame what relationships can do," Rosaline said, looking out the window.

"Have you ever been in a relationship?" Mahiru asked.

"Once, and it was a mistake I don't plan to make again."

"It's just because she is a closet lesbian," Kimiko announced loudly.

"Even if that was true, you're still unworthy of me," Rosaline fired back coolly. "I have standards, and I haven't met anyone that can meet them."

Like living forever. She remembered how emotionally traumatic the relationship had been, when she lived with him until he died. Even after three hundred years, she still hadn't gotten over it. Her father was the same way.

"You have standards?" Ryusei joked as he returned her phone.

"Even the best of us have to be friends with peasants so we don't forget who we are," Rosaline grinned.

"You sure do think highly of yourself," Kimiko smirked. "Mahiru, how do you deal with someone like that?"

Mahiru laughed as he put his arm around Rosaline's shoulder, "Her looks make up for whatever insult she throws our way."

Rosaline laughed as she placed her hand over her heart, "Ouch, right in my pride."

The guys knew she didn't like being favored by her looks, though it definitely happened. As far as she knew, their interests in her was only skin deep and never developed into anything serious, though she did criticize girls they were interested in.

However, her appearance was also a thorn in Kimiko's side. Before Rosaline, Kimiko had been the center of attention, and while Rosaline pushed away anyone that tried to hit on her, she would welcome a friend. That sent guys back to Kimiko, but Kimiko specifically wanted Mahiru, and that was no secret. Even poor Sakuya knew, but that didn't seem to bother him.

They were on a time limit after all.

Though, she was starting to suspect something out of Sakuya. He was different somehow. On occasion he would say strange phrases, hinting he was older than he appeared. He could talk about different subjects that had happened within the past twenty years or so and sound like he had been there.

Her phone vibrated. She looked at the name on the phone and smiled a bit. Rosen Kranz, the man interested in her painting was in town.


	2. Chapter 2

"I gotta go guys," Rosaline said, her smile only growing. "The man that wants to look at the painting is in town."

"Wait, you're going to be alone with that guy?" Koyuki asked, clearly worried about her safety. "Shouldn't someone be there with you?"

"No, he's fine," she assured. "I did a background check and he's just a manager for an up and coming pianist. There would be a lot of attention on that if something happened to me. I doubt he would sabotage something like that. I'll let you know how it goes."

With that, she felt the classroom, heading to the winter hell outside. As she thought, the moment the cold touched her nose, she became a small hedgehog in the snow, scurrying through to get to her apartment. It would take at least two hours to get to the apartment in that form.

After managing to travel through the cold, she finally made it to her apartment complex where a warm lobby awaited. Before she could walk in, she forced herself into her human form to last long enough to get inside. Being a vampire was definitely inconvenient at times.

All she could do was wait. As she walked to the elevator, she noticed a few of the tenants staring at her. Whatever, they could mind their own business. Soon, she was in the elevator, leaving the surprisingly luxurious lobby behind.

As she ran to the apartment, she noticed she could feel something in the wind, or at least smell it. It was the oddest thing that made her stop on the freezing balcony, immediately turning her to a hedgehog as she looked over the city. Peony was mixed in with the pollution and cold frost. A small taste of home.

It was gone just as fast as it had come. Her thoughts lingered on memories of centuries past when she lived in Italy with her mother and His Majesty. She never found out if His Majesty ever learned she wasn't His daughter, but then again, she didn't care enough to worry about it. He had had a son three years after her birth, and she was nearly forgotten, both by her mother and father.

Rosaline was far from being her mother's biggest fan, but she would not let history slander her name. No, she protected her mother's memory for her father's sake.

Forcing herself into her human form once more, Rosaline managed to fumble her keys until she was able to open the door and fall in, hedgehog form once more. Sprinting to one of the many heating pads in the room, she curled up after she turned it on, hoping her small body could absorb the warmth faster.

Bzzz. Bzzz bzz bzzzz.

The annoying buzz woke Rosaline up from whatever nap she had. She turned into her human form as she sat up, wiping the drool from her cheek and frowning at the small puddle on the heating pad.

"Hello?" She answered her phone as she pulled the cloth from the heated leather.

"Ms. Greed, this is Rosen Kranz," the man greeted. "I do believe I am lost in your apartment building."

"Yeah, it's a bit confusing," Rosaline replied with a sheepish smile. "The two elevators in the lobby go to two different buildings. You'll need to get in the one on the left, then go to the fourth floor. I'm in 428."

"Ah, thank you so much," he hung up.

That gave her just enough time to brew some coffee for the two of them. She was hoping he liked coffee, because that's almost the only thing she owned. Humming as she tried to not stress herself out, she began rummaging through her cabinets for some sort of small treat. Relief washed over her body as she began destroying her refrigerator, searching for that store bought tiramisu she as found in the market. What a treasure that had been.

Just as the coffee finished brewing, her doorbell rang. When she opened the door, she found herself face to face with a smiling blond haired man. His long blond hair was nearly as long as her own, though braided and laying over his shoulder. He wore a thick black jacket, though it was the very opposite of the fluffy orange parka she had worn to school.

"Mr. Kranz?" She asked as the wind blew once more, ruffling his hair as he moved into her apartment.

Though she found it a bit rude, she understood why he would barge into any open door. She would do the same thing to get out of the cold. Her nose tingled a bit at the returning smell. He was the one smelling like peonies?

"I would ask you pardon the intrusion," he smiled.

"It is rather cold," she agreed as he took his shoes off and followed her further into the home. She could feel his awkwardness as he looked around, searching for any sort of welcoming piece or homey feel. "The man who owned the apartment was very much so a bachelor. He died, and I haven't had the heart to redecorate."

"I see," Kranz mumbled as he approached an odd statue that had been claimed as modern art, but Rosaline was certain it was just a melted coke can.

He turned, finding the piece he had been waiting to see. His eyes widened as his jaw dropped slightly while he approached the painting. "Your photography skills have little to be desired. This painting is more beautiful than any I've ever seen. You know, I'm not here to buy the painting for myself, but for a friend who found the picture you posted and hasn't stopped staring at it or trying to save the money to get it. Poor boy just can't seem to keep a job."

"I'm at the point where I'm really almost ready to take anything for it just to get rid of it, but at the same time, it holds a lot of sentimental value, and I don't want it to be mistreated."

"Yes, I understand. Would it be okay if I recorded the story for him?" Kranz asked as he pulled a recorder from his pocket.

Though caught off guard by the request, she agreed. Pouring the two a cup of coffee and grabbing a piece of tiramisu for each, she headed to the kitchen table and sat down. "I'll tell you everything I know. I must warn you I pulled some of this information from The Purpose of Greed."

"The romance novels?"

"Yes."

So, he began her story from the beginning, from what her mother had told her. The men of the city captured a vampire and kept him in the sun where he was forced to stay as a hedgehog.

Kranz couldn't help but laugh at that.

When Ophelia found the hedgehog, she decided to keep it as a pet and as a friend. The vampire became someone she loved dearly, and he loved her as well. Soon the two had formed a bond deeper than friendship; they were lovers. Within that short time period they were together, Ophelia got pregnant with the vampire's child. Not long after the discovery, Ophelia had married a neighboring kingdom's prince to try to stop the war. The Prince never knew the child wasn't his since she favored Ophelia. The hedgehog almost lost complete interest in the princess, following his daughter everywhere she would go in the kingdom. When he turned into his human form for the first time, the girl hardly let him go, always wanting to be at the hedgehog's side. Ophelia was at some point executed for treason. The hedgehog was one of the more devastated in the crowd, abandoning the girl and staying at a statue they had made in her honor.

By the end of the story, Kranz was in tears. "What a beautiful story! What romance, passion, even death! How awful for someone to do that to that poor child. Is there a record of the child?"

"No, not really," she shook her head. "There was a small burned out defaming tree I managed to find, showing the Prince and princess had had a son. Rumors say she was killed shortly after her mother, based on treason as well."

"How upsetting." He seemed genuinely distraught over the information. Finally managing a smile, he reached into his back pocket, and pulled the money for her. "I can assure you this painting will be dealt with the utmost care."

"You're a manager of a musical artist. I know it's in good hands."

"I suppose you're right," he beamed. "Oh, right," he began searching through his wallet again, pulling out a small ticket. "Licht will be in town in the summer. I would love for you to see his concert."

"Oh, thanks," she smiled as she took it. "I should be able to make it."

"I hope to see you then." He picked up the painting and left.

Just how late was it? The snow clouds had darkened the afternoon sky to look nearer to evening. Winter was genuinely terrible. Luckily, she wouldn't have to leave her apartment for the next couple of weeks. She would just have to live off popcorn and coffee since it was too cold for her to shop for groceries.

Heading to the couch, she picked up the heating pad and placed it on the suede couch. After turning on the television and putting her phone on the arm of the couch, she turned to her hedgehog form and curled up on the warm heating pad.

"-ine! Rosaline!"

She groaned as she rolled off the couch, landing hard on the floor with a solid thump. Climbing to her feet, she stumbled to the door, running her fingers through her messy hair, hoping she looked presentable. She growled when her doorbell began to ding over and over. Heading for the door knob, she tripped over the welcoming rug, still managing to open the door, but greeting her visitors with her face on the floor.

"Rosaline?! Are you okay?!"

"Doing great," she grunted, not bothering to get up. "What brings you out here?"

Someone put his arms under hers, lifting her to her feet. She found herself face to face with Sakuya who gave her a toothy smile. It was the first time she had really noticed his crimson eyes. So, he was a vampire as well. Highly doubting he was one of her father's brothers, she could only conclude he was a subclass. So, he didn't have a time limit either, not really.

"We've been trying to call you," Mahiru said as Sakuya put her down, all of them stepping in. "Did he buy the picture?"

"Yeah," she smiled. "He also gave me a ticket to his client's concert."

"Whoa, someone famous bought the painting?" Koyuki asked as he removed his scarf.

"It feels like summer in here," Ryusei complained as he began peeling off his stacked layers of clothing. "What's wrong with you?"

"He said he bought it for a friend," Rosaline said, ignoring Ryusei. "The guy is struggling to keep a job, so I doubt it was the pianist."

"What's the pianist's name?" Ryusei asked as he pulled out his phone.

"Uh, Licht...something." Rosaline headed to the fridge where she had placed it under a magnet. "Licht Jekylland Todoroki."

"What a scene kid," Ryusei criticized. "He dyed a part of his hair white."

"What a cute pet!" Koyuki cooed.

"Pet?" Rosaline asked as she grabbed the phone from Ryusei.

She nearly dropped the phone as she looked over the teen. According to his fan-based bio, he was seventeen until December. He was attractive, his black hair hanging in his face. As Ryusei had described, he did have a white streak in his hair, but she doubted it had been dyed. He had quite the following across Europe, though he had a small fan base in Japan since his father was a violinist from the country.

It was his pet that held her interest. A black and white hedgehog sat on his shoulder as he played the piano. It was him. There was no way it wasn't. Rosen Kranz had bought a painting for a hedgehog, a hedgehog that was her father. Lawless, the servamp of Greed belonged to a pianist now. She was going to that concert, and she would see him again.

But, would he want to see her? Was he still as broken as he had been when she last saw him? After her half-brother had been born, her father and mother practically forgot about her, a guard taking her under his wing. His name was Guildenstern, or Gil since his name was far too hard to pronounce, and she later found out he was her father's subclass. He was the one that showed her how to be a vampire. Her father had asked him to "waken" her vampiric part when she turned twenty, though she hardly looked sixteen. It took a lot of convincing on Gil's behalf for her to drink blood. When the blood of her brother touched her lips, she was frozen in time and soon forgotten.

"Wow, already drooling over him?" Ryusei asked as he took the phone back.

"Hey, that's a mean thing to assume. He's attractive, but I'd take that hedgehog over him any day," she smiled.

Koyuki took the phone, scrolling through the bio page, "Weird. There's nothing on his page about the hedgehog mother than how adorable it is, and that's just comments from the fan base. There's no name or acknowledgement he even owns a hedgehog."

Ryusei laughed when he got the phone back, looking through the bio again, "He likes cute little things, so you have a chance, Rosaline."

"Wow, someone's jumping the gun on this," Rosaline rolled her eyes as she looked at Sakuya, "Speaking of romance, why are you here?"

"Kimiko is buying Christmas presents. I'm not allowed to go since she's buying for me."

"I think she's actually starting to get attached to Sakuya. She sent been paying Mahiru as much attention," Koyuki told Rosaline.

"Thank God," Mahiru sighed.

"But, since that's the case, we want you and Mahiru to act like a couple when we have the Christmas party at Sakuya's place," Koyuki smiled innocently.

"What?!" Mahiru and Rosaline roared.

"Aw, cmon! You don't have to do anything, just be real close together," Ryusei grinned mischievously. "We want to know if she's really given up or not."

"No, you're trying to set us up again," Mahiru accused.

Rosaline crossed her arms over her chest, rolling her eyes at the group. Teens were so ridiculous. "So, what brought you here?"

"We thought you might have been murdered, so we ordered take out to be delivered here," Sakuya smiled.

"So you can eat over my rotting corpse? How thoughtful."

He laughed, "We wouldn't really know what else to do."

The doorbell rang again. Mahiru answered the door as Rosaline headed to the kitchen to start some tea. Her eyes lingered on the coffee pot, some of the dark drink still in the pot. In a way, it was the beginning of her new life.

She poured out the old coffee, washing out the pot as Mahiru juggled in the multiple takeout boxes.

"They had a really good deal," Ryusei explained as the teen dropped seven boxes on the counter. "Do you have money for a tip?"

Rosaline opened a drawer, pulling some cash and handed it to him to give to the delivery guy. After rummaging her cabinets, she pulled out plates for everyone since it was clearly some sort of mix and match mess they had ordered.

"Sorry, Rosaline," Mahiru said sheepishly. "I didn't know what to do."

"Mahiru, don't. If you hadn't come, I would have been eating popcorn," she told him as she began pouring tea for everyone.

"Popcorn? That's all you have?" Koyuki asked in disbelief.

"Yeah, and that's supposed to be for decorating," she grumbled as she looked at the less than festive room. "Since you're here, you can help me decorate."

"You like Christmas decorations? You're not even excited about Christmas," Sakuya stated as he opened one of the boxes.

"I'm not used to celebrating it. My former roommate loved it, always decorating and so excited for Christmas parties."

"You've never said his name. Why is that?" Koyuki asked.

"Because I never knew his name. He always said to just call him 'Sin', so I did. He didn't talk to me, I didn't talk to him, except to pay rent. Even then, I left it on the counter for him to pick up. Some of his friends might show up for the Christmas party, as if I'll have one."

"Weird," Koyuki mumbled. "I guess it's safe to say you don't miss him."

"I don't know. Somehow, I felt safer," she lied. "I just got use to the loneliness."

"Why not get a pet? Is this place pet friendly?" Mahiru asked.

"I killed a goldfish five minutes after I got it home because I didn't know it needed to adjust to the water temperature before it got put in a bowl. Some people aren't made for pets."

"You liked the hedgehog. Why not a hedgehog?" Koyuki suggested.

"It wasn't the hedgehog she was staring at," Ryusei laughed, earning a piece of broccoli getting thrown at him.

"You can shove it, Ryusei," Rosaline laughed.

"Wait, so you do have the capability of liking someone?" Sakuya asked dramatically. "The day has come!"

"What are you talking about? I don't have a crush on the pianist I've never met. Besides, he looks like he would rather hug a cactus than deal with the public."

"Yeah, he did look a bit uptight," Koyuki agreed. "Rosaline deserves better than that."

"Oh, you mean like Mahiru?" Sakuya suggested with a nasty smirk.

Before Rosaline said anything, she noticed the blush on Mahiru's face as he adamantly denied the suggestion. So, he did have a crush on her, or something that would possibly grow into one.

"Mahiru doesn't need a girlfriend," Rosaline said as she ate some rice. "He already has to take care of himself and you," she pointed her fork at Sakuya, "That's more than enough for him right now."

It was the easiest way for her to turn the attention away from Mahiru. She had no desire being pressured into a relationship. She didn't want to deal with the possibility that he would become too attached.

"I'm not that bad," Sakuya tried to defend.

"You are that bad," Ryusei, Koyuki, and Mahiru deadpanned.

He laughed awkwardly as he rubbed the back of his neck, "That's not fair, ganging up on me like that."

The group laughed until the doorbell rang. Everyone looked at the door then the clock. It was already after 9 at night. With a sigh, she pushed away from the table, heading to the door to see who had come to visit.

She raised an eyebrow at the man standing in the door, shivering. Everything he wore was marked with a traveling florist company advertisement, and he had a vase in his hands.

She stepped out of the way, allowing him in, "Please, come in. I'll get you some tea."

He cried many thanks of all kinds as he rushed in, placing the case on the nearest table and rubbing his gloved hands together. All the guys in the kitchen had gone quiet as they watched the man standing in front of the door while Rosaline got him some tea.

"As grateful as I am for the flowers, you didn't have to bring them tonight," she told him as she offered him the tea.

She immediately noticed his eyes staring desperately down at her. A subclass with a message had come to visit her. He ha had a couple of visits since her arrival in Japan, all claiming to be subclasses of Pride. The servamp must have gained a new eve.

"Something is going on," he said quietly as he took the tea. "Pride can be found at a bath house on the edge of town, if you have questions. He's worried, Rosaline. I'm one of his oldest eves in Japan, and I've never seen him like this."

Her eyes moved to the flowers. Lotus flowers? Whatever. Pride was unique in his own way.

"Alright'" she sighed. "Here," she walked to a notepad she kept by the door and wrote down her number. "Tell him to call when he needs me."

"He left an important message with the flowers. Thanks for the tea," he handed her the cup and left.

"Is everything okay?" Mahiru called as she walked to the flowers.

"Yeah," she replied distantly, trying to come up with a lie. Pulling the card, she hid it in her pocket, "Just one of Sin's friends sending me flowers for Christmas so I wouldn't feel so alone."

"That's nice."

"No, it's weird," Ryusei and Rosaline chimed as she headed back to join them.

The subclass's words haunted her mind, despite how much fun she was having with her friends. The guys ended up staying the night, Rosaline pulling futons and blankets out of various closets for them to stay on.

"Sakuya, you should probably go home. I don't want Kimiko showing up," Rosaline teased.

"There's no way," Sakuya said as he started taking off his shirt. "I might get kidnapped or something in the snow."

She rolled her eyes, taking his shirt from him and folding it on the couch. "You might regret losing that layer. I keep it cold at night."

"Yeah, yeah," he waved off as he fixed his white undershirt. "Goodnight."

She repeated the same process with the others, though she didn't have to fold Mahiru's clothing. "Thanks for letting us stay, Rosaline."

"Don't worry about it, Mahiru. I have a feeling this will happen again before winter break is over."

"Well, if you would answer your phone, it wouldn't happen."

She gave a sheepish smile as she held up her phone, "Well, I'll try to do better."

Bidding him goodnight, she headed into her bedroom, pulling the card she had been given from her pocket. A website for vampires. Grabbing her laptop, she got on the website and read through everything. There were some servamps commenting on the website, mostly Pride, but the were more subclasses than anything.

As she read through the posts, she learned a lot about the various vampires on the page. The servamp of Wrath was experiencing a difficult time, her husband's life nearing its end. The servamp of Gluttony seemed to complain a lot. It was the servamp of Lust that had the most information pertaining to what Pride's subclass had said.

His subclasses were being killed. What was worse was his subclasses were children. What a nightmare this had turned into. No one yet knew the name of the person behind it, though on occasion, the servamp of Envy was blamed, only to have the eve of Envy to deny the accusations. As she struggled to remember her father's family, she tried to pin down who it would be. Her father wasn't even in the country, so he wasn't a suspect. Envy and his eve almost seemed merciful to kill subclass children. Gluttony wasn't in the country. Wrath was with her dying husband. Lust and Pride were trying to figure out the answer to the problem.

Sloth was missing.

His name was brought up a few times, but "Big Brother Sloth" was "too lazy" to even think about chasing someone down like that. There was also some sort of tension when he was mentioned, like there was some secret that couldn't be described by any of them.

With a sigh, she created an account to join the posts and notifications. After a lot of debate over how to introduce herself, she went with her name, Rosaline Greed. Hesitantly, she started the account and waited. Every new member had to fill out a small application. Were they subclass, vampire, or servamp?

Uncertain of what her official race was, she chose vampire. There was really no telling what she had just signed up for. The announcement of her joining the website had caught attention almost immediately. Within seconds, subclasses, vampires, and servamps alike were posting about her.

Sighing, she closed the laptop and pushed it aside. At was a lot. Attention she didn't want to deal with, though she was sure other servamps had children. If not the servamps, then surely their subclasses had children. Not that she really knew what was going on. The last time she had a slight clue of what was happening in the servamp world was when she had had blood centuries ago.

As she lay in bed, she stared at the ceiling. Never before had she had an eve. There was no certainty she could be one. There was no certainty she could make a subclass. Not that she would want to. She couldn't keep a goldfish alive, how could she keep a subclass alive? Would she even need to?

Closing her eyes, she turned to her side to get comfortable. She could deal with that another day.

She woke up to someone knocking on her door. Huffing a bit, she turned into her human form and rubbed her eyes. It was still dark in the room. Who got up before the sun? Narrowing her eyes, she checked the time on her phone. How was it almost noon and no sunlight?

Groaning, she got up and went to her bedroom door, opening it to find the place abandoned. Mahiru had cleaned up best he could since he didn't know the layout of her home, and knocking echoed through the home.

"Shut up!" She yelled as she walked to the door. Roughly jerking the door open, she found a small teen bundled up in more jackets than she ever dreamed of wearing and a tall man, almost naked in the doorway.

"It's been less than five hours and you're already here," Rosaline commented as she turned away, letting the two in. "So, who are you?"

The teen glared, his purple gaze starting to darken as he got into the warmer room. With quick movements, he had lost all of his layers, but exhaustion seemed to take over him as a chair suddenly appeared behind him. He had the most unfortunate cowlick in his violet hair, one she was hoping had been caused by the beanie he had been wearing.

"My current name is Snow Lily," the tall blond man introduced as he started losing layers of clothing to the point his bare skin was starting to show. "You can call me whatever you like."

"Stop stripping, you pervert!" The small teen yelled. He huffed as he crossed his arms over his chest, standing once again, "My name is Misono Alicein, and this pervert is the servamp of Lust. I don't know what sort of rules you live by, but you're going to be my servant as well."


	3. Chapter 3

"God, you're demanding," Rosaline griped as she headed to the kitchen. "I've only got tiramisu and coffee." Frowning, she muttered to herself that she would just have to deal with the cold.

"Oh, that sounds lovely," Lily smiled as he entered the kitchen behind her. "You look nothing like my brother."

"Is that good?" She asked, disregarding the scythe in his hands. "I haven't seen him in so long..."

"You're not scared?" Misono asked as he entered the kitchen, chains from his wrist leading to Lily.

"Nope," Rosaline said, popping the 'p'. "I don't know why you're here, but you obviously want me alive. And, I just sold a painting to someone who knows my father. I don't remember much about my father's power, but that is a rapier you don't want to be on the other side of."

"So you don't even know anything about yourself," Misono huffed. "Are you sure she'll be any use against Tsubaki?"

"Tsubaki? Who's that?" Rosaline asked a she pulled the tiramisu from the fridge and turned on the coffee pot.

"He's a heartless bastard that's killing our subclasses," Misono growled.

"Huh," she mumbled barely acknowledging the heinous crime. "Look, I know it sucks, but how do you know this isn't some rogue subclass?"

"Servamps are responsible for their subclasses, and they share a bond with each of them. Even Gluttony wouldn't be this reckless over a subclass. Subclasses are usually docile, though Wrath's are a little unruly." Lily explained thoughtfully.

"Look, I'm just a human right now. I don't think I've had blood since I was turned into a vampire. I've never had an eve. There's something telling me I can't be Misono's servamp because I would end up trying to kill Lily for the position, so I'm not going to do that. Look, I'll do what I can to help, but I won't be able to help until spring. I turn into a hedgehog when I get cold."

The blonde gave a satisfied smile as he was given a cup of coffee and slice of the tiramisu. "Thank you."

Misono also thanked her as she placed the coffee and tiramisu in front of him before taking a seat. "I've only had subclasses from Pride visit me. I'm pretty out of date on what's going on out there as far as vampires are concerned."

"There's nothing to discuss outside Tsubaki," Misono stated.

Deciding to ignore the bratty human, she looked at Lily, "So, what's going on?"

"As you probably noticed, our subclasses are being killed. On occasion, a vampire will report some sort of crime or a servamp will announce having a new eve, but that's it. It's been centuries since the seven of us were brought together, but I do believe it's time for us to come together again."

She hummed thoughtfully, "Well, there is a vampire at the school I'm attending. He's a good guy, so I don't think he's really causing any trouble, but I'll keep a closer eye on him."

"Any and all vampires need to be accounted for," Misono said firmly. "It's the only way we can stop Tsubaki. We think you will be a target."

"Why? I'm barely a vampire. I'm not even a real vampire, just half. I can die just as easily as a human, probably."

"In your current state, that's probably true," Misono agreed. "However, after hearing the stories Lily had about your father, it's easy to conclude you might have the same strength."

"He may be a servamp that kills all of his eves, but he's still a good person," Lily defended, smiling kindly at Rosaline.

"He was a broken man last time I saw him. I understand after going through it. He wasn't my eve, but the love was still there."

"Have you tried making a subclass?" Misono asked.

"No, I'm not a very responsible person. I'd probably end up killing the poor thing," she admitted. "But, your subclasses are children, right? That seems like a lot of responsibility."

"And my subclasses are being killed," Lily stated. "Have you seen a subclass die?"

Some sort of twisted curiosity began to rise as Rosaline shook her head, "No, not yet."

"Subclasses are easy to kill, considering what a servamp can handle. However, the ultimate way to kill them is a servamp's bite. That will turn them straight to ash," Lily said, somehow still smiling sweetly.

Rosaline's chest twisted painfully as the mental image of a small child, crying and begging to be left alone was stabbed by sharp fangs she, too, possessed, just to have the child turn to ash. How could someone do that to a child?

A sharp crack followed by a scalding pain brought Rosaline from her daze. After blinking a few times, she realized the coffee cup in her hand had shattered, shards of porcelain sticking in her coffee drenched hand. For a moment, she just watched the blood mix with the coffee, but finally, she got up and pulled the shards from her hand, rinsing her hand off in the sink.

"Are you okay?" Lily asked.

For a while, she didn't answer. Even as she wrapped her hand, she ignored Lily's questions.

"What can I do to help?" Rosaline asked. She clenched her hands on the edge of the sink, her head starting to pound. Her body shook as she forced herself to stand still. "You need to leave. Just leave your number, and I'll call you."

She never heard them leave, but there was a great relief on her shoulders when they did. The pain had stopped and she wasn't shaking anymore. Without a word, she headed to the table, cleaning the dishes from where her guests had been.

Stupid vampire. Why did she have to be so sensitive to children?

"Maybe it's because you killed yours," a voice whispered behind her.

"I didn't kill her," she answered quietly.

"You didn't save her. You knew how, but you let her die," the voice teased.

"Shut up!" She screamed, turning and throwing the coffee cup in her hand at the wall.

No one was there. No one ever was. It was like that one part of her life had been taped and an audience was sitting in a theatre watching it, judging her for the choice she made.

How could she let her child, her beloved Katherine, live in that state? Though she knew how to make subclasses, her instincts kept her from saving Katherine. Whatever painful disease she had still would not end. She would suffer for eternity.

Rosaline always second guessed her decision. There were seven servamps in the world. One of them would have been happy to save her. Wouldn't they?

Her phone rang, bringing her from her thoughts and indefinite misery. Sniffling, she looked at the phone with a frown. She hadn't bought a plane ticket to Germany. Why was she being told the plane left at 9?

Her phone started buzzing, a name popping up this time. "Kranz," she cleared her throat, "Was there something wrong with the painting?"

"This wide and verbal theatre presents more woeful pageants than the scene wherein we play," the man quoted.

"All the world's a stage, and all the men and women merely players..." she couldn't finish, the next line being far too painful to quote due to her current state.

"Oh, is now a bad time?" He asked gently.

"No," she sniffles slightly, clearing her throat once more, "I, uh, just met one of your brothers. Lust, I think."

"Lust, huh?" Her father muttered unenthusiastically. "Well, I suppose you know why I'm calling."

"If its about the painting-"

"It's not," he replied, a smile in his voice. "It was the story. I even managed to convince my Angel Cakes to buy me The Purpose of Greed series. I didn't know your mother told you that much."

He still couldn't say her name. How could she blame him? She couldn't even think of Katherine without breaking down.

"Shut up, you stupid hedgehog!" Someone in the background yelled before her father screamed in pain.

"I don't interrupt your phone calls when your parents call you!" Her father yelled, clearly fine after whatever harm had just befallen him. There was a brief moment of silence before her father yelled, "Don't call my daughter a demon! She's half human!"

The phone fell to the floor, giving Rosaline a reason to hang up, but a calmer voice laughed on the other end, "What's up, kid?"

"Gil? How are you?"

"Better than you," he replied warmly. "Lawless finally found an eve worth sticking by. They've only been together for almost two years, but I can tell he really likes this one, so I don't think you'll have to worry about him killing his eve."

"Well, that's good. You never know, though. Things change."

He chuckled, "That they do. I noticed you joined our merry band. No eve or subclasses, huh?"

"No, none," she answered with a slight smile. "Mr. Kranz said he would be in Japan soon."

"If your father doesn't kill the boy first, we'll all be there," he promised.

She awkwardly tapped her fingers on her counter, "Um, yo-you don't think it would be too bothersome...if-if I got to see all of you for Christmas?"

"Let me let you talk to Kranz. He's in charge of that," Gil answered, his voice getting more distant as he passed the phone.

She was greeted with Kranz chuckling, "I bought your ticket already. Your father told me about your condition, so don't worry about bringing anything. European winters are sometimes worse than Japan, so I don't think your winter wear will help at all. I will be more than happy to take you shopping when you arrive."

"O-oh, okay," Rosaline stuttered, "Um, thank you so much, Kranz. I look forward to seeing you again."

She hung up, turning to clean up the shattered coffee cup. Her hands were shaking worse from being so anxious. How could she do something so stupid? People don't just invite themselves over. From the way it sounded, her father's eve was not fond of vampires. Would that be a major problem?

She had three hours until the plane left. Just how long would it take her from her apartment to the airport. Despite the snow, there were still taxis available. Grabbing her purse, she started turning off lights and headed to the door, putting on all the layers she needed as she passed them. Mentally apologizing to her friends, she closed the door, locking it behind her before running to the elevator.

Goodbye Japan, hello Germany.

Absolutely giddy with excitement, it took everything Rosaline had to not run off the plane. She was happy she hadn't when she saw no familiar faces in the crowd. Other passengers were greeted with hugs and signs from waiting loved ones, yet no one was there for her. It was 3 in the morning. Was it just some nasty joke?

Then, she saw the strangest thing. There stood a whale holding a sign with her name on it. No, not just her name, but the name her father called her. Rosie Bell. As if that wasn't enough, the sign was decorated in roses, whales, hedgehogs, and stars. But, who was the whale?

"You know the servamp rules. Licht has somewhere to be tomorrow, so your father couldn't come. Kranz has to babysit so they don't break anything." The whale told her.

"Gil? Why are you a whale?" She asked curiously.

"Keeps me out of the sun, and it's quite warm."

"How did you ride in a car?"

"It's pretty flexible."

She learned that as they walked through the airport. As soon as she stepped outside, the bitter cold soaked to her bone, immediately turning her into a hedgehog. Grumbling, she crawled up the whale, resting on its fin.

"Stupid winter," she huffed, her breath turning to frost with each word.

"You're fine," Gil chuckled, "I must say, I've missed you, Rosie."

"I missed you, Gilly," she mumbled as she curled into the giant mascot.

"Why don't you get some sleep. I'll wake you when we get to the hotel."

She nodded, closing her eyes as she shivered. She was looking forward to seeing her father and Gil, if he ever got out of that stupid whale suit.

Knocking had to be the absolute worst way to wake up. Not caring where she was or how she ended up in the clothes she was in, she headed to the door, jerking it open and glaring at the vaguely familiar face glaring back.

"What?" She answered, leaning against the doorway.

His glare slowly began to vanish, though his eyes stayed cold. The black haired teen scoffed and walked away, going to the room at the end of the hall. What was that about?

Closing the door, she turned back to the large bed that caught her attention. Where was she? The alarm by the bed said 6:00. No wonder she was in a bad mood, she had only been asleep for three hours.

Looking at the massive shirt that hung on her like a tent, Rosaline could only think it was Gil's shirt. Her father definitely wasn't that big, and neither was Kranz or that teen. How she got dressed didn't make sense since she slept in her hedgehog form. That was a question for another time, maybe when she woke up again.

Jet lag was eating her alive as she fell onto the large bed, curling under the blankets once more, making sure to be as comfy cozy as possible. With a yawn and heavy sigh, she started to doze off.

Less aggressive knocking followed by the door opening woke Rosaline up once more.

"My, you are tiny," Kranz said as she blinked the sleep out of her eyes, trying to focus on the alarm clock. It was 6:30. Only thirty minutes had passed and she was being woken again.

Sighing, she sat up, running her fingers through her blonde hair, trying to get it out of her face, "Morning, Kranz."

"I'm sorry to wake you, Rosaline, but we do have a tight schedule today. Licht keeps Lawless in a cage all day, but I'm sure Gil will be more than willing to carry you around to let you sleep as we go."

Huffing, she rubbed her eyes, "Fine. Let me get dressed."

She made quick work of getting a shower and getting dressed in the European winter ready clothing. Once ready, she left the room, heading down to where she had seen Licht enter earlier. When the door opened, she saw Gil climbing into his whale mascot.

He laughed as he stopped, letting the excited young woman hug him. "Your dad's in the shower if you want to surprise him," he said with a wink.

"Awh, you remembered!" She beamed. Many pranks had gone bad in her time, but one that never failed was when someone suddenly stepped on a ball of spikes. Silently opening the door, she turned to her hedgehog form, rushing to the edge of the shower and curling up. It would hurt, but it was worth it.

She had to lay there and listen to her father sing seventeen songs, occasionally humming songs Licht probably played. She was starting to wonder if he would ever get out until the water suddenly turned off.

He continued singing some Phantom of the Opera song as the shower door slid open and a weight slammed onto her back. She squeaked in pain, but hearing her father scream was worth it.

Before she knew it, she was in the air smiling at the blond haired man who glared with dark red eyes. After blinking a few times, he smiled, "Rosie bell! You made it!" His smile disappeared into a very blank look as he opened the door and tossed her out.

She laughed as she turned into a human. "Love you, too!"

"You're that stupid rat's spawn?" A dark voice growled.

Smiling widely, she looked over her shoulder to see that Licht Jekylland Todoroki guy looking down at her. He seemed more confused than anything. He seemed to be fighting this hatred, almost unable to believe what he was seeing.

"Yeah, I'm Rosaline Greed," she introduced with a smile.

He walked up to her kneeling in front of her, getting very close to her face, his blue eyes narrowing as he studied her. He carefully reached out, touching her hair and her face before getting up, still confused. "You look like an angel."

"Thank you," she smiled.

Her smile was gone when a piano appeared in the room, glowing purple as he glared. "Let's just see how much of an angel you are!"

Slamming his fingers on the keys, this odd aura rushed over the ground making Gil fall to the ground. Her body felt heavy, almost like she was sick and just didn't want to move, but she still pushed her way to Gil, trying to get his heavy body off the floor.

Just as she had gotten to him, the weight was gone, making her take a larger step than necessary. Gil grabbed her, preventing her from slamming into the ground, instead landing on the cushy whale.

"Gil, how are you not burning up?" She asked as she got to her feet, helping him up as well.

"It's not as bad as it seems. Like I said, it's flexible."

The door to the bathroom opened and a hedgehog slammed straight into Rosaline's face. "Gross, why are you all wet? They have towels."

"Like I would let you get away with that," he laughed as he transformed into his human form and adjusted his glasses.

He had the same goofy smile, just like hers and sparkling red eyes. Her light blonde hair had come from her mother, but she had a few brown tips like her father. She remembered the sat time she had seen him, he wore this royal uniform of a black jacket and black pants, this yellow scarf around his neck.

It seemed he had changed with the times, a white long sleeved shirt beneath a yellow vest, an odd teal tie adorning his neck. A black scarf wrapped around him as well, moving as if alive with every movement he made. As he pulled on a thick black jacket, he smiled, "So, you passed Licht's test?"

"What test? The piano thing?"

"I told you she wasn't a demon," Greed bragged as he put his arm over his daughter's shoulders.

She heard him sniff a couple of times before grabbing her head and sniffing her hair, "Got some human boys on your mind, huh?" He winked.

"No, I've had my share of love. I don't want to experience it again," she answered with a sad smile. "It was fun...while it lasted, but never again. I can't bare to feel it again."

Greed frowned some as he embraced his daughter, gently running his fingers through her hair, "I know. It will get easier. How long has it been?"

"Early 1900s. In fact, I lived here in Germany. I had a family...a daughter." She sniffles some as tears started to form in her eyes, "You...you know that voice in your head? The one that says you can't do it or shouldn't do it? Not your conscience, but that odd voice that tells you the rules of how a servamp should be?"

Greed nodded slightly, wondering where the subject was going.

"My sweet Katherine had cholera. She was in so much pain. I-I couldn't save her. That voice said she would never heal if I did. She would suffer forever if I did. I let her die!"

He kissed her head as she coked on her sobs, trying to calm down from the memories. So much pain...she had to watch her die.

"You did the best you could with the medicine they had," Greed soothed as he gently ran his fingers through her hair. "You did nothing wrong."

"Lawless, we have a photo shoot today," Kranz reminded as he walked in the room. "Then, there's the interview at 2:30. We should be able to get to the concert hall by 3:30. I need you to be on your best behavior while we're at the photo shoot."

"Just keep him in the cage," Licht spat, glaring at the servamp.

Kranz ignored the teen as he looked at the wet faced Rosaline, frowning a bit, "Rosaline, are you alright?"

"Germany has too many bad memories," she replied solemnly. "Don't worry about me, Kranz. I'll be fine," she managed a smile.

Turning to her hedgehog form, she jumped onto the top of the whale, her small claws holding onto the furry mascot when he moved so she wouldn't fall off. She didn't want to be in the cage Licht was keeping her father in, so she got on the whale and stayed quiet as the group left the hotel room.

She had forgotten how cold Germany was, the slushy snow covering the sidewalk as they headed to a taxi. When they got in, Rosaline scurried down to Gil's lap, curling up against him, though there was no warmth to gain.

The small hedgehog slept until they got to their destination, then scurried to the top of the whale's head to sleep once more. Someone pulled her from the whale's head, dropping her to the ground. She landed on her butt, once again in her human form due to the warm air. Bright lights blinded her for a moment, loud noises starting to reach her ears as she woke up more.

The first face she recognized was Kranz who had a small, begging smile on his face, "I'm afraid I must ask a favor from you."

"No way," Greed, Licht, and Rosaline replied after hearing Kranz's photo shoot plan.

"But, why not? The model can't make it," Kranz tried to reason.

Reason after reason poured from the trio's mouths making Kranz frown more. "Just this once," Kranz bargained.

The three shared a look, still not happy, but looked back at Kranz. "This once."

Rosaline was snatched up by a few men and women, shoved into a chair and immediately worked on. They washed her face and hair, making sure to treat her hair with the utmost care so they could style it later. After getting put in an ivory dress, her hair was styled to be very straight, rolling down her back, reaching just below her shoulders. They put makeup on her face, turning her into a flawless being that would later have angel Wings photoshopped to her back.

Kranz's plan began. They would take four pictures, one of Rosaline playing the piano with Licht, one with her hovering over the piano, one with her leaning over him "teaching" him how to play the piano, and one that she didn't understand, by having Licht and Rosaline either dance, or be incredibly close to a "holy kiss" to symbolize Licht getting his talent from an angel or something.

If Rosaline was a gambler, she would have put her money on Kranz just making Licht get over her being a vampire so he wouldn't be so rude to her, though the photo shoot ideas were already planned.

"What song are we playing?" Rosaline asked as she sat by Licht, a hair dresser adjusting her hair and someone from the wardrobe department fixing her dress.

"You won't be playing," he growled as he placed his hands on the piano. "I don't need your evil to drench my music."

"You really hate us, don't you?" She asked as she watched him poke a few keys, testing the tuning of the instrument.

"You're disgusting demons, and I am an angel here to rid the world of filth like you."

"Why not listen to me play before we start?" She suggested sweetly.

"You know how to play?"

"Only a few songs," she answered as she tapped a couple of keys. "I was in theatre for a while, and a piano came into a few plays. Rather than have the orchestra play, I learned. I'm a little rusty."

After poking every key in a three octave range, she popped her fingers and began playing very slowly and very thoughtfully as Licht watched. After a few measures of choppy, incorrect notes, this odd fluidity of magic seemed to roll from the piano. It was a serene song, one not necessarily played in any play. In fact, the song wasn't from a play at all, nor was it all that old.

"There," Rosaline smiled as she ended the song, gracefully pulling her hands from the keys. "Well, that was fun."

"Now, if we could get the two of you to play together," the photographer instructed, annoyed with the two.

Licht had a new respect for Rosaline, though it wasn't much. She had proved herself, and that was enough for her for the moment. Licht slowly played, watching Rosaline as she watched him, matching his hand movements as he taught her the part of the piece she would play.

"It's weird to play without sheet music," she sighed as they began playing the two piece song.

"I can't believe you rely on sheet music," he scoffed.

"I don't rely on it, not when playing in front of people, at least. I understand things better with sheet music."

"Pathetic," he spat beneath his breath as they continued to play.

A heavy silence came between the two as Rosaline tried to keep a calm expression, a small smile on her lips as she played. The flashing cameras occasionally caught her attention, but she had to keep her eyes on the keys, occasionally looking at Licht's hands or his face.

"Okay! Angel, we need you behind him!" The photographer yelled.

Rosaline gently stood up, following the orders of the photographer's modeling team. Licht tensed up under her touch as she placed her hands on his shoulders, just watching as he began playing again.

"Little closer!"

Rosaline scooted just a bit closer to Licht before she was pushed out of the way and directed how she should be. Licht shifted uncomfortably at the large man that towered over him, occasionally placing his hands on top of Licht's as he told Rosaline what she needed to do.

"Okay, I get it," Rosaline said before the large man could touch her.

Softly sighing, she moved back behind Licht, carefully placing her arms around his neck as if to hold him against her chest. Licht was tense under her touch, but began playing anyway. When told, she reached forward, blushing a lot more than she should, placing her hands on Licht's as his fingers danced around the ivory keys

"They could have picked a better dress," Licht muttered under his breath when she had to lean even more against him.

"I agree," she whispered, her lips by his ear.

The dress hadn't been fitted for Rosaline, instead the other model. Though it fit her quite well, Licht's hair was still long enough to get between the dress and her chest, and her breasts just big enough to create an annoying amount of cleavage for Licht's head to rest.

"You're hair is really soft," she muttered, making his hands freeze.

She laughed as she took a step back, his hair getting free from her fabric. Her father soon appeared by her side, picking at how red Licht's face was.

"You should feel honor, Angel Cakes!" Greed said as he poked the teen's fiery cheek. "Now you know what it feels like to be embraced by a real angel."

She covered her mouth when Licht suddenly kicked her father across the room, the servamp laughing the entire time. The teen roughly grabbed her face, forcing her to look at him, "You are no angel, you demon. I am the angel that has been sent to rid the world of filth like you."

Rosaline couldn't figure out why the teen seemed so frozen and rigid, almost like he was actually petrified. His eyes weren't on her, instead behind her. The room was tense, a heavy silence sitting on everyone's shoulders.

She slowly looked to her right to see a glowing rapier right by her face, aimed straight at Licht's neck. Her father must have been furious to shut the arrogant teen up with simply holding his rapier.

"You will not speak to my daughter like that," Greed said coldly. "'Kay?" His sudden bubbly change immediately lightened the mood in the room.

She rolled her eyes before she was dragged off by the makeup and hair group once more to get touched up. The group grumped about how Licht had messed up her makeup, and also accused her of being some weird sugar baby for Greed to claim her as his daughter. Only three more hours to go until the interview. She could handle it, but whether her dad and Licht would be interesting to experience.


End file.
